Foundation garment bust pocket



- July 10, 1945. s, sT 2,380,199

FOUNDATION GARMENT BU ST POCKET Filed Jan. 12, 1944 Fig. /0 eyyfwm Patented July 10, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOUNDATION GARMENT BUST POCKET SaraStein, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application January 12, 1944,- senal No. 518,205

2 Claims.

This invention relates to the pockets of foundation garments, such as brassires, corselettes, and to other garments in which the invention can be advantageously applied.

One object of the invention is toprovide a garment having improved means for obtaining greater separation of the bust than heretofore.

Those skilled in the art have long sought to accomplish this object, and while many constructions have been devised for this purpose, none have been satisfactoryheretoiore. To indicate the lengthsto which the art has gone in recent years for accomplishing actual bust separation, a brassiere was provided with boning between the pockets held in place by body encirclin elastics. This afforded amplebust separation, but was inflexible, cumbersome and expensive, yet it was the only structure known to me which produced the result sought for; My invention provides an inherent and natural bust separating as distinguished from artificial means such as boning.

Another object of the invention is the provision of bust receiving pockets having improved means for separation of the bust, whichmeans is light in weight, thin, compact, adapted for neat or ornamental appearance, pliable, washable, durable and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentas the specification proceeds.

With the aforesaid objects in. view, the invention consists in the novel combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described in their preferred embodiments, pointed out in the subjoined claims, and illustrated in the annexed drawing, wherein like parts are designated by the same reference characters throughout the several views. l

In the drawing:

:Figure l is a viewin front elevation showing a garment such as a b-rassiere embodying the invention, with a part removed to better illustrate the construction. l

Fig.' 2 is a diagrammatic horizontal section.

taken through the apices of the bust pockets and showing in section the body of the wearer.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view of a blank for a bust receiving pocket. i

Fig. 5 is a view of the blank of Fig. 4 with the addition of an insert partly broken away.

;Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of said blank with the complete insert attached thereto.

structions.

slidefastener, as at l5.

Fig. 7 is a view of a modified blank.

Fig. 8 is a view of the blank of Fig. 7 with the insert stitched thereto.

Fig. 9 is a, view of another modified blank.

5 Fig; 10 is a fragmentary view of the blank of Fig.9 with the insert stitched thereto.

The advantages of the invention as here outlined are best realized when all'of its features and instrumentalities are combined in one and 10 the. same structure, but, useful devices may be produced embodying less than the whole.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which. the invention appertains, that the same may be incorporated in several different con- The accompanying drawing, therefore, is submitted merely asshowing the preferred exemplification of the invention.

Referring in detail to the drawing, l l denotes a garment suchas a brassiere embodying the in- 20 vention. The same may include a body encircling ment is conventional.

The front wall I3 is provided with bust receiving pockets 16. for the bust I! of the wearer l8. These outwardly concaved pockets have portions which are flattened or inwardly concaved at I9,

the surface at I9 merging into a central flat area 20 between the pockets, and fullness and smoothness at the. centers of the bust pockets being maintained. Accordingly, there results a substantial separation of the bust, produced by the stresses exerted by the pockets, so that even at the section line 33 the pockets are relatively flat or plane. This result could not be accomplished by merely spacing the pockets further apart, because that would produce a distorted effect and would cause discomfort to the bust.

The structure for producing the restraining pressure or confinement 0n the bust at I9 will now bedescribed. For convenience, each pocket I6 is formed in a wall portion or panel 2|, these panels being centrally seamed together at 22,

and being seemed to the rear wall as at 23. The panels 2| are made from blanks such as 24 cut on the bias as shown and each having an angular cutout 25, the edges whereof are seamed together at 26 to produce the conventionalform shown in Fig. 1.

of pocket with its center or apex at 21 at the apex of the cut out 25. In accordance with the present invention a generally rectangular cut out 28 is formed in the blank the center line of which is at or preferably slightly above the elevation of the apex of the angular cut out 25, the cut out 28 having substantial width adjacent to the center of the pocket. This cut out is open at an edge 29 of the blank which is eventually connected into the seam 22. Preferably the side edges 30 of this cut out 28 converge slightly toward the edge 29. At its closed end, the cut out may have an angular edge portion defined by the edges 3| meeting at an apex 32 and intersecting the lines 30 at 32. It is noted that the apex 32 is laterally spaced from the apex of the cutout 25 For suitable results, the proportions herein are rather important and hence Figs. 4 to 10 have been drawn to a scale, being shown to a one quarter size. Referring now to the triangular opening 38 of Fig. 6, the length of the cut out 28 is between 2.5 and 3.0 times as great as the maximum vertical dimension of the opening 38, which dimension may also be referred to as indicating the approximate base of the generally triangular opening 38. The distance of this base from the apex'21 is about 1.5times the base. The depth of the bust receiving pocket is about equal to the length of the cut out 28. The maximum a. distance more than the width of the cut out 28.-

The next step provides for the stitching to the.

blank 24 at 34 of a piece of limp, pliant material, such as a textile element 35, or a corresponding piece of netting or open mesh material 36 as This element is stitched first along a straight edge 30, then along an angular edge 3| after slightly deforming the material in a clockwise direction about a point 33, then along the next angular edge 3| after similarl deforming the material about the apex 32 as a pivot, assuring a smoothness in contraction. The result with part of the element 35 broken away is noW seen in Fig. 5, the convergence of theedges having been increased to a marked degree.

Finally, the element is stitched to the blank at the remaining edge 30 after drawing the material as before in a. clockwise direction for pivotlike movement about the adjacent point 33. It is to be observed that before this last line of stitching is made, the cloth of the blank is preferably pulled to produce an overlap at 31, thus producing a marginally closed opening, 38, and permitting the stitching 34. to reenforce the blank while securing the element 35 to close the opening and maintain the flatness produced which tends to cause the concavity l9. In the blank this result is shown at 39. The edge 29 is now straight so that the blanks can be readily seamed together. Finally, the edges of the angular out out 25 are seamed as at 28 to produce the panels 2|. The latter may then be seamed to the rear wall I4 and hemmed top and bottom to produce,

after shoulder straps are attached, the garment It is noted that right and left blanks can be used which are otherwise identical, and in fact, by merely reversing a blank it becomes a right or a left part. Further, elements such as 35 or 36 may be disposed at opposite faces of each pocket wall, similarly stitched or otherwise secured thereto. Thus after one element 35 has been connected in place as in Fig. 6,a like element can be sewn on the opposite face, both of these elements and their stitching coinciding.-

Such a structure-is shown in Fig. 3 and is used to finish 01f the opposite faces of each pocket wall. By using a net or open mesh material, the overall thickness is very small.

While the opening 28 is generally rectangular, it will be noted that the part of the opening which lies nearest to the edge 29 is of little importance and if it were decreased in size, the same result could be obtained as in Fig. 6 by merely increasing the overlap at 31. However, it is preferred that this overlap be so small that it can be readily concealed in the seam 22 and between the elements 35 or 38, which should beas small as possible.

length of the opening 38 is only about two-thirds the maximum length of the cut out 28. The

lattersufiers a reduction in maximum width of about twelve percent in being changed to provide the opening 38. While the above are the preferred proportions, suitable results may also be obtained wherein the altitude (horizontal dimension) is at least approximately twice the length of the base'of the generally triangular opening and not more than approximately six times the said base. The ultimate result sought for is in'every .case to provide a flatness tending to cause an inward concavity I9 interrupting the curvature of an outwardly concaved bust receiving pocket,;the inward concavity lying between the apex of the bust pocket and the center line of the garment and being spaced laterally of the apex but beingotherwise in approximate alinement therewith, the inward surface at l9 merging into a flat region between the bust pockets, the flatness of whichregion is facilitated by the portion I3.

With the production of the flatness at IS, the fullness oi-the bust pocket at its center is maintained and may-even. be regarded as relatively increased in the region between the center of the pocket and the adjacent end of the opening 38. Hence the peak of the pocket appears somewhat blunted or flattened. Because contraction of the pocket occurs along lines 30 divergent toward the center of the pocket, as in Fig. 1, a smooth, full contour adjacent to the center of the pocket is maintained, the gather or contraction of the cloth being thus properly distributed.

In Figs. 7 and 8 is shown a modified blank 48 which is identical with the blank 24, except that a different cut out 4| is provided. This blank 40 is fabricated in the same manner as the blank 24 to provide a panel having a bust receiving pocket. In this case the length of the out out 4| is equal to the length of the out out 28 up to the apex, less about one half the altitude of the small triangle defined by the points 32, 33. Hence the length of the cut out 4| is equal to the average or mean length of the cut out 28. In the blank 42 which is produced from the blank 4|, the fabric has been gathered about the points or :apices 43 and the edge 44 may or may not assume a slight curvature as at 45 depending on how it is handled. However, the best results are obtained with a cut out as at 28, in which the different edge portions at 30, 3| are successively stitched,

along straight lines for easy manipulation, and with the corners at 32, '33 affording definite points at which the fabric is readily deformed to produce the concavity l9. In other words, the material is more evenly distributed with a cut out such as 28 than with one such as 4|.

In Figs. 9 and 10 is shown a modified blank 47 which is like the blank 24 except that the cut out 48 is different so that a partly finished panel 49 i produced. The cut out 48 has its base generally at an oblique angle to the length of the cut out. Preferably this base includes an angular edge 50 lying in the exact position of the lower. edge 3| of the blank 28, and an edge 5| extending upwardly therefrom approximately at right angles to the length of the cut out 48. Thus there are provided the apices 52, 53, E l about which the fabric may be deformed for sewing the insert 56 in the manner described for the blank 24. Since the point 52 has been brought closer the apex 55 at which eventually the apex of the bust pocket is located, the contraction is brought further inward to affect part of the region above the apex of the bust pocket, whereby there is a greater lateral and downward stress On the bust than in the garment I I. Since it is the upper part of the bust for which proper concealment and separation is primarily desirable, it is preferred that the major part of the flat area at l9 shall lie above the center of the bust pocket. f

It will be appreciated that in principle, the invention'is not limited to the provision of generally triangular opening such as 38, because lines of severance may be employed without removing any fabric, or it may be possible to merely pleat the fabric, along intersecting lines. Thus there may be a radial slit along the line of cut out 23, and a transverse slit at a location corresponding to the closed end of the cut out 28; then the fabric may be worked in the manner described to produce overlapping at both slits. If pleating is used, the lines of pleating would correspond to the slit lines just described. In each case, the primary deformation is at the transverse line producing a contraction thereat and along the radial line. But such constructions have the disadvantage that bulkiness would result.

It will now be appreciated that I have provided bust receiving pockets affording increased bust separation by reversely concaving or at least flattening the adjacent opposed sides of the pockets, this effect being desirably prolonged to the central area between the pockets, whereby increased bust separation is produced in a simple, neat and highly reliable manner while maintain ing fullness of the pockets at the centers thereof.

I claim:

l. A foundation garment having'a wall having two bust pockets therein, in the inner and opposing side of each of which is an elongated cutout extending from a point adjacent to but spaced from the center of the pocket to the base of the pocket and toward the other pocket, said cut-out having substantial width throughout, and

the edges of the cut-out on each pocket where they intersect its base line being brought and secured together to partially contract the cutout and to contract the base line on that side of the pocket, said pocket thus having a generally triangular opening,'with said side of the pocket being flattened while fullness is main tained at the center of the pocket.

2. A foundation garment having'a wall having two bust pockets therein, in the inner and opposing side of each of which is an enlongated cut-out extendin from a point adjacent to but spaced from the center of the pocket to the base of the pocket and toward the other pocket, said cut-out having substantial width throughout, and the edges of the cut-out on each pocket where they intersect its base line being brought and secured together to partially contract the cut-out and to contract the base line on that side of the pocket, said pocket thus having a generally triangular opening, with said side of the pocket being flattened while fullness is maintained at the center of the pocket, and a member of pliant material secured to the wall at the free edges of the cut-out to close the cut-out while maintaining fullness at the end of thecut-out adjacent the center of the pocket.

- SARA STEIN. 

